July5, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement following the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2018 and 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard volume requirements.

“Renewable fuels are a homegrown economic generator for Minnesota and for our country. It is good that the Administration has maintained ethanol volume requirements for 2018 and 2019. At the same time, reducing the blend targets of advanced biofuels could short-change the growth of clean energy innovation that creates jobs and strengthens rural communities. It is critical that the final rule is stronger for advanced biofuels and I will work with the Administration to push for improvements that support biofuel production in Minnesota and around the United States."

For years, Klobuchar has led a bipartisan push for the EPA to release a stronger RFS to support American jobs and decrease dependence on foreign oil. Last November, the former Administration released a stronger final rule for 2017, which will require a record amount of biofuel to be mixed into our transportation fuel supply next year. Minnesota’s twenty ethanol plants and three biodiesel plants generate roughly $5 billion in combined economic output and have made our state the fourth-largest ethanol producing state in the country. In April, Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan group of 23 senators in urging the Administration to reject changes to the RFS that would upend stability and predictability for small businesses and rural communities.